Control board



June 13, 1950 F. F. PFEIFFER CONTROL BOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3, 1945 NVENTOR- FRANK PFEIFFER BY 07W WW ATTORNEY June 13, 1950 F. F. PFEIFFER 2,511,370

CONTROL BOARD Filed Dec. 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FROM FILE I 155 20 (1/ h A WM Wm g E INVENTUR FRANK F. PFElF ER EH ya-{ 4.

FITTDRNEH S Patented June 13, 1950 CONTROL BOARD Frank F. Pfeiffer, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Reynolds & Reynolds Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio I Application December 3, 1945, Serial No. 632,529

4 Claims.

1. This invention relates to a method and apparatus for following up various items of business transactions, and in particular for following upon repairs to cars of automobile owners.

Itis the object of this invention to provide a follow-up system and mechanism so that an automobile service station owner or dealer may continuously check the service rendered to his customers on their automobiles.

It is an' object of this invention to provide visual data for indicating the status of service on a variety of automobiles owned by different customers.

It is a further object to provide means of visually indicating by position and color the classification, date of service and'other details to enable the service station or garage owner to continuously follow up on his customers service requirements to insure that their automobiles are promptly taken care of when the service is needed by the automobiles.

In particular it is the object of this invention to provide means of indicating the months in each classification and the dates of the month in each classification by a simple means which can be adjusted daily without removing the indicating tags of the customers.

It is also an object to provide means of removing groups of tags bodily from one date classification to another date classification.

Referring to the drawings:

, Figure l is an elevation of a typical board.

Figure 2 is a detailed view of the date slide mechanism.

Figure 3 is a View showing in detail the ticket or tag that is hung on the board.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the method of operation of the board and the fourgroup classification of the board.

Figure 5 is a perspective section of two of the movable panels.

Figure 6 is a vertical section through one of the panels illustrating the ease with which the panel may be removed.

Referring to the drawings in detail, I generally designates a board having a frame 2 for decorative purposes. This board is divided into four major date groups: group 3 is from 1 to 31 days; group 4 is from 31 to 60 days; group 5 is from 61 to 90 days; and group 6 is from 91 to 120 days. Each date group has basically the same structure. In the left-hand column there are a series of indicator cards 1, 8, 9, [0, ll, [2, l3 and which designate certain letters of the alphabet which indicate the of the customers. All tickets I5 which are hung on the hook I6 that are aligned horizontally opposite a particular group of letters have customers whose names begin with one of those letters. This facilitates locating the tickets on the board.

The hooks l6 are mounted upon the removable panels H. The panels I! are located horizontally opposite the indicator cards which provide an alphabetical classification panel and beneath the dates of the month from 1 to 31 which are ar-' ranged horizontally, such a listing of the dates being arranged at the top of each of the groups 3, 4, 5 and 6. Slidably mounted upon these datecarrying slide carrier means designated 98 and having the numeral tickets I9 is a date-indicator slide 20. This date indicator slide is provided with side carriers 2| for carrying the tickets 22 on which the indication of the month is placed. The side carriers have between them an opening 23 which discloses the particular day of the month to which the board is adjusted. In Figure 2 the indication reads that it is the 10th of November. The November days which have expired are shown on the left-hand and the October days on the right-hand. Each of the slides 20 is provided with a successive month indication on each side of the opening 23 for each panel represents a part of two successive months. That part of the panel on the left-hand side of the slide it in group 3 indicates the current month while that on the right-hand side of the slide 20 indicates the preceding month. Therefore, since each of the groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 each represents a part of two months, the most recent month being indicated on the left-hand side of the slide and the preceding month on the right-hand side of the slide it, the month indications on the slide are a great aid in quickly reading the board.

As seen in the diagram in Figure 4, the date indicator slides 20 have successively different pairs of months indicated in groups 3, 4, 5 and 6.

The advantage of this board is that it eliminates the difficulties of the prior art in connection with a reversely-arranged date indicator such as shown in the patent to Kimball 2,192,679 which was difficult to operate, difiicult to understand, and very confusing. By arranging the dates in the correct numerica1 order as regularly used on calendars and by associating those dates with each group without reference to any master date indicator, great simplicity has been accomplished, which enables these boards to be operated by people of small skills. I This is particularly ,true in having the dateindicator slide 20 associfirst letters of the names ated with each date group so that the date can be immediately read.

Method of operation Assuming the board has been in operation, the various panels 3, 4, and 6 will be covered with colored customer control tags [5. It is desirable to have separate colors for each row of alphabetical groups 1 to I l inclusive. This speeds up and facilitates the handling of the tags of various customers.

The operator takes up the condition of the board on a given day in order to bring it up to date, and his actions are as follows.

Let us assume that the day is the th ofNovember with the slide 20 of group 3 having the indicia N ov.--Oct.;

(1) The operator removes panel I! of "today's date from top 30-day field, group 3; and mails out a 30-day warning card to each of the customers thereon because it has been 30-days since customerreceived service, these tags having-been placed on the board on October 10.

(2) He then removes panel H from second 30- day field,.group.4; inserts first 30-dayfield panel; and mails out 60-day warning cards to thecustomers thereon. They have not received service for 60 days.

(3) He removespanel I! from third 30-day field, group 5; inserts second 30-day field panel, andmails out 90-day warning cards.

(4) He removes panel from fourth, 30-day field, group 5; and inserts third 30-day panel. He mails out .lZO-day warning .cards. He then puts tags IE on adelinquent board and places this emptypanel I] in top field.

(5) The operator now takes receipts from previous days service getscustomers names therefrom, makes out new tags where necessary and adds to top field panel l1 in group-3 which has been emptied by operation-4.

(6) He then moves all date indicator-slides, over one day in'readiness for November 11 operation.

(7) At end of month, he moves .top .date indicator to second field, second to thirdrthird to fourth, fourth to box ,file, and places-new indicatoriromhisbox file in top field.

A typical-board is shown diagrammatically in Figure 4. The purpose is to show in enlarged form the arrangement by months.

Figure 6 illustrates the ease with which the panels 15 l'may be removed from their date-groups for transfer to another d-ate group. The panel ii is raised by nreans of a hook I6 until said panel contacts the ledge la of board i, thus making it possible toswing the lower edge of panel li -clear of ledge lb of the board I.

It will be understood'that it is desire'dito comprehend within this :invention and .thehereinafter appended claims, such changes and modifications as may benecessary' to adapt this invention to various conditions of uses.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by iL'8t-- panels opposite each row of supports on said panels for the said tags. a plurality of tickets, a slidable date indicator on each of said slide carriers comprising means for removably supporting one of said tickets on each side thereof for displaying a selected date indicated by one of the numerals, each ticket serving to conceal adjacent numerals, said date indicator having a central aperture between each'of said ticket supporting means, said aperture serving as a viewing window whereby to observe one of said numerals representing a day of the month, and whereby to observe from one side of said indicator the number of days in the current month and-to observeon the opposite side of said indicator the number of days of the preceding month.

2. In combination, in a display board, a plurality of T-shaped horizontally disposed parallel date carrying slide carriers each having plurality of like numerals representing days of the month, a plurality of indicia tags, a plurality of groups of removable panels removably held on the display board by said slide carriers and having su-pportsthereonior supporting said indicia tags, .vertically arranged alphabetical classification panels opposite each row of supports on said panels for the said tags, a, plurality of tickets, a slidable date indicator on each of said slide carriers comprising means for removably supporting one of said tickets on each.sidethereof for displaying -a selected date indicated by one of the numerals, each ticket serving to conceal adjacent 111121161 s, said date indicator having a central aperture between each of said ticket supporting means, said aperture serving as a viewing window whereby to observe one or said numerals representing a day of the month, and whereby to observe from one side of said indicator the number of days in the current month and to observe on the'oppcsite 'side of said indicatorthe number of days of the preceding month.

v3. In combination, in a display board, a plurality of horizontally disposed parallel date carrying slide carriers each having a plurality of like numerals representing days of the month, a plurality of indicia tags, a plurality'of groups of removable three-sidedpan'els removably held on the display board by said slide carriersand having supports thereon for supporting said indicia tags, verticaily arranged alphabetical classification panels opposite each row of supports onsaid panels for the said tags, 'a-plu'rality of ticketsa slidable date indicator on each of said slides comprising means for removably supporting one of said tickets on each side thereof for displaying a selected date indicated by one of the numerals, each ticket serving to conceal adjacent numerals, said d-ate'indic-ator having a central aperture between each of said ticket supporting "means, said apertureserving as a viewing windowwh'ereby to observe one of said numerals-representing a day of the month, andwhereby to observe from oneside of said indicator the number ofdays in the current month and to'observe on the opposite side of said indicator the number of days of the preceding month.

ip ln combination, ina'display board, ;a plurali y of horizontally disposed parallel'date earryi'ng slide carriers each -having plurality of likenn merals representing days-of the-month, a plurality of indicia tags, aplurali-ty of groups of removable three-sided panels removablyheld on the display board by said slide-carriers and hav- :ing supports thereon for supporting :said indicia tags, vertically arranged alphabetical classification panels opposite each row of supports on said panels for the said tags, a plurality of tickets, a slidable date indicator on each of said slides comprising means for removably supporting one of said tickets on each side thereof for displaying a selected date indicated by one of the numerals, each ticket serving to conceal adjacent numerals, said date indicator having a central aperture between each of said ticket supporting means, said aperture serving as a viewing window whereby to observe one of said numerals representing a day of the month, and whereby to observe from one side of said indicator the number of days in the current month and to observe on the opposite side of said indicator the number of days of the preceding month, said slide carriers projecting from said board and having shoulders for engaging one of the sides of said panels.

FRANK F. PFEIFFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

